The present invention generally relates to digital information storage systems, and more articularly to optical storage systems.
Optical storage media such as compact disks (CDs), read-only memory compact disks (CD-ROMs), and digital versatile disks (DVDs) have become an information storage standard for personal computer information handling systems. Thus, most personal computers are provided with a CD-ROM or DVD drive for reading compact disks or DVDs. However, rapid technological advances have continually produced optical storage media drives having increased operating speeds and improved features, and it appears likely that this trend will continue. The speed of a CD-ROM drive is typically measured with respect to multiples of the original CD-ROM drive specification. Thus, a 2X CD-ROM drive can access the data encoded on the CD-ROM at twice the data rate of the original standard. At present, CD-ROM drive speed multiples are in double digits, and no end to the trend for continual rate increases appears to be in sight. As CD-ROM and other media drive speeds increase and more features are added, new software applications are written to take advantage of the higher speeds and features, thereby encouraging the user to upgrade the slower CD-ROM drive to a faster one. As a result, older and slower CD-ROM drives rapidly become obsolete when personal computer users purchase newer and faster CD-ROM drives, thereby causing a surplus of older and slower drives to accumulate. The same trend is certain to occur for digital versatile disk drives and for other optical storage media drives.
One capability that all optical disk drives share in common is the ability to play audio formatted compact disks. Since the standard reference CD-ROM speed (1X) is the speed at which audio compact disks are played, all CD-ROM drives are capable of playing audio formatted compact disks. In addition, only a subset of the command set used to control CD-ROM drives is required to play back audio compact disk recordings. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an older, surplus CD-ROM drive unit with the capability of playing audio compact disks in order to extend the useful life of the drive. Further, as surplus DVD drives accumulate, it would be desirable to provide an older, surplus DVD drive with the ability to play audio and video formatted optical disks.
The present invention is directed to an adapter for providing stand-alone use of an optical storage media drive such as a compact disk or digital versatile disk. The adapter receives an optical storage media drive that was originally designed for operation in conjunction with a computer system wherein the computer system controls the operation of the drive. However, instead of being utilized in conjunction with a computer system, the optical storage media drive is utilized in conjunction with the adapter of the present invention wherein the adapter controls operation of the drive. The adapter and the optical storage media drive, in combination, provide a system which is capable of reading and playing optical media independently from the computer system. Such an adapter comprises a housing for receiving the optical storage media drive and a circuit disposed within the housing for interfacing with the optical storage media drive wherein the optical storage media drive may read an optical storage medium completely independent of the computer system.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.